


Carpe Diem

by RegicidalRavens



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Ear Piercings, F/M, Piercer Kuroo, Piercings, This is weird, but strangely sensual, how to tag, idk man, kinda sensual wordplay, not explicit, nothing explicit though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 12:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegicidalRavens/pseuds/RegicidalRavens
Summary: You go out one day and decide that you want to try something new, even if the prospect of it seems a bit scary. You find out though, that maybe it isn't so bad to go out and do new things.





	Carpe Diem

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote a piercing AU because I realized that piercing AUs are far and few in between (if any at all) and the fandom is instead overwhelmed with tattoo AUs.
> 
> Also was inspired by when I got my last piercing (which is actually my third cartilage piercing and not my first but that's just small details).

 

The wind chimes on the door jingled as she entered, and the man with unruly raven locks seated behind the reception desk broke his gaze away from the phone in his hand. He raised an eyebrow, recalling how he didn’t have anything scheduled for at least a few more hours, but he pushed that thought aside to focus on the newcomer in the doorway. She looked a bit dazed if anything, and glanced around the small studio in awe before her eyes met with his.

“Hey there,” he finally spoke, lips splitting into a coy grin and eyes glinting under the fluorescent lighting.

“Uh, hello.”

“How may I help you? Did you have an appointment today?”

She took a few steps to cover the distance between them and spoke nervously. “Well, no… Are walk-ins not allowed?”

His eyes fluttered shut and a contemplative hum followed. “Well…” he began, turning the uncomfortable stool to pull up the appointment schedule on the reception monitor. “Normally, no.” her expression immediately fell. “But, circumstances are always changing and luckily, I’m always this kind, so I like to look at things from a case by case basis. I don’t have another appointment for awhile, so you’re in luck. What can I fix you up with?”

“Ah. You’re the owner and operator?” she inquired. He beckoned her closer to the desk, and her shoes made shuffling noises against the vinyl flooring. She reached for the business card that he extended towards her and scanned the black ink neatly printed across it. “Kuroo Tetsurō?”

He stepped down from the stool and rose up to his full height. “At your service,” he bowed, tucking his right foot behind the other. When she remained unresponsive, he peeked up at her. “And you are…?”

“Oh! I’m sorry,” she cleared her throat, suddenly flustered. “I-I’m (L/n) (Y/n). And about your earlier question… I’m actually not sure myself what I’m here for,” she replied with a sheepish smile.

“Oya oya?”

“I kind of just wanted to try something new. Trying to seize the day, the moment or something,” she continued. “So… here I am. What do you think?”

“I like that. I do like that very much, (L/n)-chan.” He turned and gestured her to follow him towards a display of glass cases. Wordlessly, she followed. “Is this your first time getting a piercing done?”

Her steps abruptly stopped just behind him, and he spun on his heel to see her finger at the single stud adorning her ear. “Just the earlobes on both sides. Basically, I have no idea what I’m setting myself up for,” she stated with baseless confidence.

Kuroo laughed. It was a throaty sound that rolled up from the diaphragm. “Totally fine. No worries. I’ll be walking you through the whole thing. I take it that you probably wouldn’t want to try out something too painful, right?” When she shook her head, he hummed again and tapped on the glass display. “These ones here. These are earrings for what’s called the helix. It’s a thinner part of the cartilage and what people tend to get done for their first upper ear piercings,” he said, fingers twirling the hoops encircling his own ears. “If that sounds good, you can go ahead and pick out any of the ones in this case.”

(Y/n) came closer, eyes curiously peering around the assortment of decorations to choose from. Kuroo watched with a burning gaze, his fingers drumming indiscernible rhythms on the glass as he lazily leaned against the case. He was brought out of his thoughts not by her voice, but rather seeing her lips form his name.

“—uroo-san?”

“Ah, sorry. Did you choose one, (L/n)-chan?”

She pointed to a ring in the corner. It was a gunmetal gray titanium hoop, held closed by a simple silver ball bearing.

“No problem. I can fix that up for you,” Kuroo smiled. Again, he motioned for her to follow him into a separate room; it felt like a small doctors office. The smell of disinfectant was almost overwhelming, and the room even held the same kind of examination table. “Go ahead and take a seat there. Just relax, don’t worry about it,” he reassured her when seeing that she seemed a bit shaken.

The sound of water running was interrupted when he doused his hands under the sink.

“So, you excited to be trying something new?”

She figured that he was trying to ease her noticeable nerves which had wound up even more as she watched him close and shut several drawers, steadily collecting several items on the counter.

“Kinda.”

“You in university?”

She nodded, but looked at him with mild confusion. He could only laugh again before gestured to his chest and pointing back at her—ah. It was the sweater that gave it away. “I went there too. Played volleyball while I was there.”

Clearly, she was becoming a lot more comfortable with the stranger in this small room. Her legs were swinging just slightly, and her responses became accompanied with more light humming sounds.

“Dropped out though. Wanted to try something new,” he finally turned back to her with a full grin. “Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”

The look of determination that flared up in her eyes melted Kuroo’s heart, and he fumbled with the gloves hugging his hands.

“Preference as to which side?”

He nearly burst out laughing at the deadpan expression she gave. After all, she had just walked in not even 10 minutes ago not even knowing what she wanted to get. He chuckled and turned her chin tenderly to expose the right ear.

“What a pretty, virgin cartilage,” he murmured, swabbing the surface clean with a cold alcohol wipe. Apparently he wasn’t quiet enough to escape (Y/n)’s ears.

“Do you get off on piercing people or something?”

He wasn’t expecting her to be so straightforward. “I wouldn’t call it something as wanton as ‘getting off on’, more so something along the lines of… extremely intimate, you know? It’s an honor to be trusted with the job of piercing you, which is essentially, allowing me to invade a part of you that’s been left untouched and leave my own mark—by the way, how does this placement look?” he suddenly asked, holding a mirror up for her to evaluate where he had left a pinpoint dot of ink along the shell of her ear.

“Yup, looks fine to me.”

“Perfect.”

He tugged off the latex gloves and tossed them into the garbage placed in the corner. Leaning closer to her, he took care in tucking stray hairs neatly behind her ear and clipping them in place. She shuddered at the feather light touches of his calloused fingers brushing against her ear.

“I haven’t even pierced you yet, and your ear is already red,” he teased. With practiced ease, he plucked another pair of gloves from a box by the wall and pulled them on, letting the material snap against his wrists. Another alcohol wipe packet was torn open, and the cold vapors swept over her ear once more. Kuroo turned around to fumble with something on the counter again. She didn’t know what. All she saw was the expanse of his back and the smallest movements of muscle under his thin shirt as the sound of something else being torn open filled the room. There was a bit more shifting around before he faced her, needle in one hand.

“No backing out now, okay?” He held up in his other hand what looked somewhat like forceps. “Piercing clamp. I’m gonna put this on your ears so that the area is more stable to pierce through, okay?” With a nod, he pressed it onto her ear, squeezing the flesh in between. “Too tight?” he asked, easing his grip on the metal instrument when he saw her wince.

“A bit, but it’s not too bad.”

“Good girl, you’re doing well so far,” he praised her. It seemed to calm her down some. She didn’t see it, but she could feel him raise his other hand to put the needle against her ear. “Alright. You’re just gonna feel a little bit of pressure for just a moment, and it’ll be over, okay? Just take a deep breath in for me—yup, just like that, and now a big exhale.”

Just like Kuroo promised, it didn’t feel like much. Mostly like immense pressure on her ear as he pushed the needle through it.

“See? Perfect, you’re doing great.” he loosened the clamp from her ear and carefully pulled it off the needle. Her ear throbbed with heat, and she could feel the way he handled it with caution. “Now, I’m gonna need you to do that for me just one more time, alright?” He held up the ring she had picked out, and brought it against the needle. “Ready?”

(Y/n) gave him a thumbs up, hands shaking despite her best attempts to calm herself. She drew in a lungful of air and as she breathed out, a hiss followed. Kuroo was quick in threading the ring through the piercing and the stinging sensation was felt only briefly. He told her to hold still for just a bit longer as he fixed the bead into the ring.

For the second time, he tucked away stray hairs behind her ear. This time, she was caught by surprise when his other hand tilted her face up towards him and he leaned down even closer. Kuroo’s lips tasted of cherry chapstick as they pressed softly against her own. As he pulled away, she found herself missing the warm sensation. She blinked owlishly at the dumb smile on his face.

“Just seizing the day,” he grinned, eyes shimmering as they met hers.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this fic became a lot more sensual wordplay than i was expecting it to be and i think i awakened a kink i never knew i had  
> i was literally just inspired by how many times i had to tuck my hair behind my ear while piercing but then it turned into all of this :')
> 
> anyways might turn this into a collection/series of hq!! piercing AUs if i'm inspired enough bye-bye


End file.
